Family Fun and Photos

We've had a wonderful time with our families visiting us in Israel over the past two weeks.

When Katy's parents first arrived we picked them up from the airport and, after a brief stop at our apartment to drop off their bags, drove down to the Dead Sea. We stayed for two nights at Kibbutz Ein Gedi, a beautiful oasis in the middle of the desert, complete with a huge botanical garden, spa, and very good breakfasts. After a good night's rest (on quite comfortable beds, we thought, compared to our bed in Jerusalem!) we left early the next morning to hike up Masada by way of the "snake trail," and spent the morning exploring the site.

After a morning of hiking, we stopped by some of the other Dead Sea attractions, like the Dead Sea itself, and the Ahava factory.

Back at the kibbutz, we rested; we knitted; we lit Hanukkah candles and practiced our dreidel-spinning skills; and we spent a good hour doing Israeli folk-dancing.

On Friday morning, we came back to Jerusalem (with a stop at Qumran on the way), enjoyed a restful Shabbat, had a nice dinner after Shabbat with Hillary (my sister), Yehi (her boyfriend), and my cousin Tsidky.

On Sunday, we spent the morning at the shuk (note the picture of Katy's parents enjoying their Marzipan rugelach) and did some touring of the Old City.

Katy's parents got to join Katy at the Yeshiva for her afternoon Bible class. Here's Katy in front of her locker before class:

After class, we stuck around for the Yeshiva Hanukkah party, featuring a potato latke contest, for which Katy's father was one of the judges:

On Monday, we spent some more time exploring the Old City, and also got to stop by the Craft Fair where my aunt Sue was displaying, among others, the needlepoint that she had done in honor of our wedding. The needlepoint incorporates a verse from the Book of Psalms (119:173) that includes the Hebrew letters of our initials; Sue also worked our initials in English into the border.

A day after Katy's parents left, my mom arrived, and we spent a delightful week with her in Jerusalem. Here are a few pictures:

Among the highlights of my mom's visit was a family gathering at our apartment. My aunt and uncle and seven of my eight first cousins here were able to come spend some time with my mother and celebrate my uncle's birthday. Many of my cousins brought their children -- there were 12 in all, 10 of them under the age of 6 -- and we enjoyed a lovely evening.